Coupler-release rigging



fipie 16, 1924.

- 1,56g379 s. H. CAMPBELL COUPLER RELEASE RIGGING Filed Sept. 23. 1922 2Sheaim-Shsat 2 INVENTOR S.H.CAMPBELL BYKQ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 16,1924.

srnamive H. CAMPBELL,- or sir/tours, ivrrs'soum.

covsmaesmrss Emerita.

To all 1072 0752? it ma camera.-

Be it known that I, Sam-mm I-I. GA B- sma, a citizen of the UnitedStates 'of Amer: ica,residingat the city or St. Louis, State ofMissouri, Unit-ed States of America, have invented a certain new anduseful ouple'r- Release Rigging, of which the following is such a full,clear, and exact asses tion as will enable anyone skilledth-e art towhich it ap'pertains to make and use the same,- reference being had tothe ccompan 111g drawings, forming part of this Speeisa tien. i

My invention relates to a coupler release rigging and particularly tothat type of rig in-g in which the actuating rod rotatesto lift the pinand in which thear'mior'equi-valent operating portion of the rod movesin i'i'n'iso'n with the locking pin The object of my invention is to socon struct a release rigging of the classdescribed so that the handle,by means of which the actuating rod is controlled, may return to normalposition, while the coupler pin is in raised or unlo ked position.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate some forms of couplerrelease rlg'gmg made in'accordance with my invention, Fig

ure 1 is top plan view of a portion of a rail way car to which one formof device is applied. Figure 2 is an end view, Figure 3 is a front view,Figure 4 is a plan view showing a modification, Figure 5 isan enlargedsection on the line 55 of Figure 4, Figure 6 is an end view of thehandle, Figure 7 is a front view of the handle, Figure 8 is a plan viewshowing a further modification, Figure 9 is an end view of the formshown in Figure 8, Figure 10 is a plan view of a further modification,Figure 11 is a section taken on the line 1111 of Figure 10. Figure 12 isan end view of the handle shown in Figure 10. Figure 13 is a plan viewshowing a still further modification, Figure 14 is an end view of theparts shown in Figure 13 and Figure 15 is a front View of the connectinglink shown in Figures 13 and 14.

1 indicates a railway car carrying a coupler head 2 resiliently mountedin any usual manner in the striking block 3 and provided with a lock pin1 by means of which its knuckle is controlled. Referring first toFigures 1, 2 and 3, 6 is the actuating rod or rock shaft rotatablymounted in brackets 7 secured to the end of the car. The rod 6 is provded with a f rward y proj g sea 8 having a lateral extension 9',preferably provided with a turned over end'or hook 10. The eiiterfsion'9 passes through an 'eye'12 carriedon the ldck-Ypin 4 and elongated toextend in the direction or the length of the 1 car. his constructionallows the operating arm' and lock pin to have relativemovement bothlaterally and longiti'idin'ally in a horizontal plane, but enforcestheir moverrrent in unison vertically. In order that-the handle 13 maynot project into the space between the cars when thel lock pin is inraised position, I provide the end of the rod 6 with a short crank arm-14 to which the handle1 '3 is pivoted at 15* so that the'handlemay dropdown into normal or verticalpo's itiorr, as best shown in Figure 2,while the pin remains raised. I I I In Figures 4 to' 7 I have shown amodified form of device in which the operating arm 8' is replaced by anarm comprising a down wardly and forwardly projecting part 16 and a part17 extending parallel with the upper face of the coupler when the pin isin lowered or locked position. In th-is con stru'c-tiomthe hook IOisformed on th'e e n'd of the part 17 and the said part extends through aneye 18 carried on the pin 4: and elongated like the eye 12' but.exteiiding in a transverse direction instead of" longitudi many; Thisconstruction, like that above placed over the crank arm 14 and held inposition by a bolt 20. I havealso shown the cast brackets 7 replaced bybrackets 21 formed of sheet metal and having bearings 22 struck up fromthe metal.

In Figures 8 and 9 I haveshown a 1nodi-' fication in which the actuatingrod 6 is carried in a singlebracket 23 provided with a tapering passage24 to allow the outer end of the rod to move in a horizontal plane toaccommodate the longitudinal movement of the coupler head. In thisconstruction, the end'of the rod 6 passes directly through an are c hisusual 9a t P The end of the rod 6, while not distinct from the body ofthe rod, forms in effect an operating arm functioning in a mannersimilar to the operating arm hereinbefore described. I have also shownthe crank arm 14 flattened and provided with a turned over portion 26forming a stop for the handle 13, thus obviating the necessity ofbifurcating the end of the handle as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

In Figures 10, 11 and 12 the rod 6 is similar in form to that shown inFigure 1 but the use of the elongated eye 12 is obviated by the use ofan inner bracket 27 slotted to allow the rod to move toward and awayfrom the car. The handle 13 is provided with an aperture 28 to passaround the rod and with a stop 29 to contact with the crank arm 14. Apin 30 holds the handle in place.

In Figures 13, 14 and 15 the end of the arm 8 is connected with the lockpin by a link 31 pivoted to the said arm at 32 and provided at its lowerend with an elongated loop 33 engaging with the eye of the lock pin. Theelongated form of the loop 33 allows for the lateral movement of thecoupler while the pivot joint 32 compensates for the longitudinalmovement. As in the other forms described, however, the arm and lock pincan move only in unison in a vertical direction. The handle in thisconstruction, as in that last described, passes around the rod 6. Thecrank arm 14; is, however, not used, the handle being provided with astop 34: and the rod with a pin 35, serving both to cooperate with thestop and to hold the handle in position.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination, with a couplerhead having a lock pin of an actuating rod rotatably mounted, anoperating arm carried by said rod, said arm and lock pin operatively connected to have relative movement both longitudinally and laterally in ahorizontal plane, but to move in unison vertically and a handle for saidactuating rod having movement relative thereto, whereby said handle mayreturn to normal position when the lock pin is in raised position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with acoupler-head provided with a lock-pin having an elongated eye, of arock-shaft, an operating arm carried by said shaft and extending throughsaid eye, whereby said arm and pin move vertically in unison but arecapable of relative lateral and longitudinal movement, and a handle foractuating said shaft, said handle being capable of movement relative tosaid shaft, whereby the handle may return to normal position while thelock-pin is in raised posi tion.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with acoupler-head provided with a lock-pin having an eye elongated in thedirection of the length of the couplerhead, of a rock-shaft an armcarried by said rock-shaft and extending through said eye, whereby saidarm and eye move vertically in unison but are capable of relativelongitudinal movement resulting from the shape of the eye and relativelateral movement due to the movement of the arm through the eye, and ahandle for actuating said shaft, said shaft being capable of movementrelative to said shaft whereby the handle may return to normal positionwhile said pin is in raised position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and afliXed my seal.

STERLING H. CAMPBELL. 11s.

